UTV to make Tamil, Telugu films

UTV Motion Pictures is entering the Tamil and Telugu film market in a big way. The company has signed three of the biggest superstars from the Tamil and Telugu film industries -- Surya, Vikram and Mahesh Babu -- for their forthcoming films.

After producing Hindi films like Jodha Akbar, Rang De Basanti, Life in a Metro, etc and co-producing Mahesh Babu's Athithi in Telugu and Kannamoochi Yennada in Tamil, UTV Motion Pictures has a lineup of four Tamil and two Telugu films under production.

Mysskin will direct actor Surya who made one of the biggest hits of 2008 -- Anjathe. The new film is titled Mugammoodi.

The UTV film with Vikram will go on floors in May next year.

Director Selvaraghavan is also on the UTV board to creatively produce an interesting story that will star his brother Dhanush in the lead.

Then, there is a trilingual venture in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi titled Lost in Chennai which will star Darsheel Safary, the star of Taare Zameen Par in the lead.

In Telugu, UTV has managed a coup of sorts by getting Gautham Menon to direct the superstar of Andhra -- Mahesh Babu. The shooting will start in January next.

The first UTV co-production to reach the theatres will be Poi Solla Poram' (PSP), a remake of Khosla ka Khosla releasing on Friday. UTV is co-producing the film withPriyadarshan's Four Frames. Poi Solla Poram isdirected by Vijay Anand (whose first film was Kireedam with Ajith in the lead)

"The best and most original stories are told in the South. We plan to collaborate with key talent in the South market and build a slate of great movies in the next few years," said Ram Mirchandani Founder & CCO of UTV Rampage Motion Pictures.